Monmouth, Ocean colleges review security after Ore. shooting

Ten people were killed and another seven people were injured during a shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. The shooter, who federal authorities identified as 26-year-old Chris Harper Mercer, was killed in a shootout with police.

Police search students outside Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore., on Thursday after a deadly shooting at the campus.(Photo: Mike Sullivan, Roseburg News-Review/AP)

College officials on Friday morning met to review security procedures and protocols, which include two lockdown drills each year at every building at all six of Brookdale's locations in Monmouth County.

“Campus safety is our highest priority. We want to keep our students, staff and visitors safe at all times,” Murphy said. "Our campuses are open. There's no way we can be 100 percent secure at any time, but by staying vigilant we can create the safest environment possible."

"There's something about having a police force that understands our student body and our students," Murphy said. "They understand the difference between when a student might be misbehaving and when it goes into criminal behavior."

Monmouth University's campus police also collaborate on "active shooter" response drills with the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, as well as local police and EMS squads.

"Incidents like this heighten awareness and reaffirm our commitment to continuous improvement to protocols and training, as well as ensuring that we have the proper equipment," said Patricia Swannack, the university's vice president for administrative services. "Although it is difficult to anticipate every kind of emergency situation, our protocols are designed to prepare us to safely and effectively manage these situations."

While Ocean County College officials regularly review their emergency security procedures, the college security team is set to begin offering "active shooter" training.

"Every college has its challenges. The best preventative measure is the training of our faculty, staff and students," college security director Robert Kumpf said. "OCC’s Security team is always accessible to the community in the event they have questions about what active shooter response procedures we have in place."

The college serves as a regular training ground: Toms River police have trained at the main college campus there, while Stafford officers focused on active shooter response at the college's Manahawkin campus.

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The Umpqua shooting has reignited a public debate about gun control, with advocates pointing toward a string of gun violence – it was the fourth shooting at a college since August – as a direct result of lax gun control legislation.

On Thursday, President Barack Obama continued his call for enhanced background checks, a ban on assault weapons and bolstered mental health programs.

“Each time this happens, I’m going to say that we can actually do something about it, but we’re going to have to change our laws,” Obama said. “It cannot be this easy for somebody who wants to inflict harm to get his or her hands on a gun.”